The History Laboratory of FISIP, held a public lecture titled “Religious Institutions in Early Indonesia through Epigraphic and Philological Approaches” on Friday (October 17, 2025), at the C7 Auditorium, FISIP UNNES, Sekaran Campus, Gunungpati, Semarang.
The lecture featured two distinguished scholars Dr. Titi Surti Nastiti, Senior Researcher at the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), and Prof. Arlo Griffiths from L’École Française d’Extrême Orient (EFEO). Both speakers discussed the importance of inscriptions and ancient manuscripts in reconstructing the early religious and cultural systems of the Indonesian archipelago.
In her presentation, Dr. Titi Surti Nastiti explained how the transition from oral to written culture marked a turning point in human civilization. She outlined the evolution of writing systems in the archipelago, from Pallava to Kawi and Nāgarī scripts, which reflect the intellectual development of early societies. “The Pallava script from the 4th–5th centuries CE is the oldest script found in Indonesia, as seen in inscriptions from Kutai and Tarumanagara,” she noted.
Meanwhile, Prof. Arlo Griffiths highlighted the significance of epigraphic sources in understanding the reign of King Airlangga (1021–1049 CE). “Two important inscriptions from Airlangga’s era the Cane and Munggut inscriptions show that his administrative center was located north of the Brantas River,” he said. He also addressed the challenges of source interpretation, including textual manipulation in later Majapahit copies and the deterioration of original materials. “Authenticity must be assessed case by case since ancient copies were not exact reproductions but re-creations that often introduced textual variations,” he explained.
Through this event, the UNNES History Laboratory reinforced its commitment to advancing research in philology and archaeology. The initiative aligns with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) 4: Quality Education and SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities, particularly in the areas of cultural heritage preservation and historical literacy.
The public lecture served as an academic platform for students and researchers to deepen their understanding of Indonesia’s historical foundations while promoting the safeguarding of cultural knowledge across generations.
